Operation Flock
by kateflowrchild13
Summary: "Ella, what I'm going to ask is very dangerous, and very illegal. You have a serious chance of dying, or worse if caught. ITEX is ruthless. They're cruel and dangerous and they won't hesitate to kill you." Ella dragged a hand through her hair again. "Just tell me." "I need your help to rescue them all." Eggy. Fax. AU. Post-Fang. Future fic. R&R's appreciated.
1. Family Time

**Welcome to Operation Flock!**

 **So this story takes place in an AU where the events of everything from Angel to Maximum Ride Forever never happened. Dylan is gone from the flock. He works for Guenther Hagen and is a past memory to the flock. Maya never died, nor did Ari.**

 **This AU is three years after** ** _Fang_** **, but in this story, Fang returned to his original flock and left his second flock under the leadership of Maya.**

 **As a catch up on ages, Fang, Max, Iggy, and Ella are all 18. Nudge is 15, Gazzy's 12, and Angel is 10.**

 **This story is mostly Ella/Iggy centered, but there will be minimal Fax throughout.**

 **As you read in the description, the flock has all been captured and sold to different countries for military use. Ella is the only member left standing who can hope to save them all, with some help from some unexpected people along the way.**

 **Read on, and tell me what you think!**

Ella

"If you even think about taking one, I _will_ kill you," Iggy warned as Ella reached for a cookie from the cookie sheet he had just set on the cooling rack.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Because I'm just that amazing," he grinned, closing the oven door. "Besides, they're boiling lava hot. Have fun eating one."

Ella rolled her eyes. "I'm rolling my eyes, Ig."

"I'm sure you are," he leaned in and kissed her on the forehead, grabbing her wrist as she reached again for one.

"Oh my God, that's _so_ not fair," Ella groaned. "You have to let me have at least _one_ before Max eats them all."

"I resent that," Max said, walking into the kitchen. "But to be honest, Ig, your cookies will never top my mom's."

"This is _her_ recipe."

Max shook her head and snagged one. She bit into it and chewed thoughtfully. "A hint of vanilla… a bit heavy on the brown sugar… good chocolate to cookie ratio…" she shook her head. "Mom's are still better."

"Fine, then you don't get any more of them."

"Hey, hey, let's not be hasty," Max took another bite. "They're not the _worst_ cookies I've tasted. These are half decent."

"Oh my God, get out," Iggy groaned, and Max laughed as she complied.

"Okay, if _she_ got to steal one, then _I_ get one." Ella reached again, but Iggy caught her hand.

"It'll cost you."

"Cost me what?"

Iggy leaned in, blind eyes searching her face. "One kiss."

"A kiss for a boiling lava hot cookie that's not as good as my mom's? You drive a hard bargain." Ella pecked him on the cheek. "Deal."

"Hey-" Iggy protested, but Ella had already grabbed two cookies and backed out of the kitchen.

"That was a total cop-out!" Iggy complained.

Ella only laughed.

"Are these cookies I smell?" Nudge asked, popping her head in.

"No! Get away, you vultures!" Iggy flapped his arms in Nudge's direction.

"Nudge, he wouldn't even give _me_ one." Ella complained.

"I did _not_ save the word just so you two could steal cookies," Iggy called as he began cleaning up. "I didn't almost die a bajillion times for this."

" _You_ saved the world?" Max poked her head back in. "Excuse you. I think you meant _I_ saved the world."

"It was a team effort, and you know it."

Max rolled her eyes. "My apologies," she said dryly.

"If the world is so safe, then why are we still hiding in the middle of nowhere?" Nudge whined. "It's been three years, Max. _Three_. I should be in high school, living the stereotypical teenage life."

"Yes, because school worked out _so_ well in the past," Max muttered. "We're gonna stay in Nebraska a few more months until it's safe."

They'd been in Nebraska for about six months, at the newest in a long line of safe houses. For three years, they'd hopped around, shutting down the last of the Schools and making sure all the branches of ITEX had been destroyed.

Valencia Martinez and Ella had been forced to move around with the flock, as Jeb had urged them to so they could remain safe and out of harm's way. As a result, the whole flock had been crammed into one house, along with Ella and her mom.

Ella didn't mind; growing up with just her mom meant she'd always longed for a large family, and now she had a half-sister and two extra 'sisters', plus two 'brothers'. (She didn't count Iggy as her brother. That would just be weird.)

That didn't mean she liked Nebraska.

There were no hills in sight. Everything was a plateau, a vague shade of dry brown that stretched on for miles in every direction.

The only change in scenery was the small, copse of shriveled tree trunks at the edge of the 'yard'. The rest was empty grassland that stretched as far as the eye could see. The flock liked the open space with plenty of sky to fly in, but Ella agreed with Nudge. They were in the middle of _nowhere_.

"When will it be safe?" Nudge challenged. "You said that about the _last_ house, too."

Fang wandered in, but when he saw both girls glaring, he began backing away.

"Fang, tell her we'll move when it's safe, and only then," Max commanded.

He winced and sighed, walking forwards to drape an arm around her and press a kiss to her forehead.

"Max knows all, Nudge. Didn't you learn that?" He quipped, walking into the kitchen. "Ig, give me a cookie."

"No way!" Ig block Fang on his way to the stove.

They squared off, and Fang dodged to the left, then the right, grabbing a cookie at the last second and backing away, tossing one to Nudge.

"Hey!" Max cried.

"You got yours already," Iggy grumped, swinging an arm out and barely clipping Fang in the head. "Get out, you thieves."

"Why the security?" Ella asked. "You know they're gonna be gone one way or another."

"Maybe I want to actually _eat_ them, instead of being left with none like _last_ time." Iggy directed a glare towards the doorway, and Nudge slunk away. Max and Fang weren't as apologetic.

"You snooze, you lose," Max shrugged. Fang said nothing, which wasn't unusual for Fang at all.

Iggy sighed. "El, where are the Tupperware?"

"Cabinet on the far left, second shelf."

Iggy managed to produce the container and lid, and threw half the batch inside, sealing it shut. "See this? This is _mine,_ guys. _Mine._ If you even _think_ about eating from it, I _will_ kill you."

Max snorted. "Like you haven't made that threat before." She grabbed another few cookies from the cooling rack and hip checked Fang as she walked by. "Let's go for a flight."

Iggy gave her a huge, snarky grin. "Really? I'd love to! Thanks for inviting me along, guys!"

Max groaned and Fang shook his head, making his way to the back door. "She wasn't talking to you, genius."

"No shit. Like I'd want to come listen to you two suck face for two hours. Have fun." Iggy wiggled his eyebrows. "But not _too_ much fun, if you get what I mean."

"You are such a twelve year old." Max lightly whapped him on the back of the head, and then she and Fang were running into the backyard and taking off.

"Are they gone?" Iggy asked.

"Yeah," Ella watched as their silhouettes got smaller and smaller on the horizon.

 _I wish I could fly_.

"Thank God. I was beginning to wonder if I'd have to break out the wooden spoon," Iggy reached for her, and she leaned into his side.

"How accurate are you with that thing?"

Iggy shrugged. "I'm getting better. I think."

Ella laughed and Iggy gave her a squeeze.

"Now that you've got your stash, can I actually have a cookie now?"

"You took one already!" Iggy dug his fingers into her side and laughed as Ella squirmed. " _Without_ paying, I might add."

"You said a kiss. You didn't say where." She tried to duck from underneath his arm, but Iggy wrapped his other arm around her, holding her tight. "Iggy!"

"Nuh uh. No way. Not until I get my kiss."

She sighed. "Can I have another cookie then?"

"That'll cost you _two_ kisses."

"Forget pyromaniac, maybe you should be a businessman or lawyer," Ella tried to jab her elbow into his ribs, but Iggy just squeezed her tighter. "Damn you! Ugh! Fine!"

"No cop-outs this time," Iggy warned.

"None," Ella promised.

Iggy loosed his hold on her waist, and she turned to wrap her arms around his neck and leaned in.

Iggy kissed her softly, and Ella's eyes drifted shut.

 _I wonder if this is what flying feels like._

"That's one," Iggy whispered against her lips.

"One and a half," she argued, just to be a pain.

" _Ella-_ "

"Okay, okay, fine! One!" She kissed him again, and felt his fingers tangle in her hair, pulling her closer. One hand cupped her face, his thumb gently sweeping over her cheekbone.

"EW! MY EYES!"

They sprang apart to find Gazzy standing there, hands clapped to his face.

"Oh, grow up," Iggy groaned. "Seriously, man? Right in the middle of the moment? Way to kill the mood."

"I don't even _want_ to know what kind of mood I killed. I came into the kitchen for a sandwich, but instead I got my eyeballs soiled by you two. You're almost worse than Max and Fang. God."

"No way are we _that_ bad," Ella said, pulling away after reaching up and kissing Iggy on the cheek again. "You live in a house with four eighteen year olds, Gaz. Deal with it."

"I refuse. And now I feel doubly bad for Angel because she has to read your minds _too._ " Gazzy backed out. "Forget the sandwich. I'm going back upstairs."

Ella rolled her eyes and leaned on the counter beside Iggy as he began prepping for dinner. "So, when are you guys leaving for Chicago?"

"Tomorrow. Jeb promised us it'd be the last show we'd have to do."

"Then what?"

Iggy shrugged. "Whatever we want, I guess. If it's safe, we might even be able to go to school." He grimaced. "Although, starting high school at age eighteen sounds horrible."

Ella had been keeping up via online classes, as had Max, Fang, and Nudge. Gazzy had had no interest in academics, but Angel was quickly advancing to the older kids' level of classes. To Iggy, it seemed like too much work to learn braille and then apply that to a class on a computer.

"It was horrible as a fourteen year old too," she agreed. "Maybe you should go to culinary school."

Iggy snorted. "Yeah, right."

"I'm serious. You're amazing. You could even wow Gordon Ramsey with your skills."

Iggy stuck his tongue out in her direction. "Now you're just being mean. He'd eat me for breakfast. _Literally_."

"Rolling my eyes, Ig."

"You're totally smiling."

By the time Iggy had finished making dinner, Max and Fang returned, both windblown, cheeks pink, although Ella suspected it had been more than just the wind that put the color in their cheeks and the tangles in their hair.

"And they're back!" Iggy crowed. "Just in time for my masterpiece."

"You say that about _every_ dinner," Max scoffed, pulling a chair out from the table and sitting down. "But you're always right. I'm starved."

"Have fun on your flight?" Iggy wiggled his eyebrows.

Max glared and looked over to see a self-satisfied look on Fang's face. "I have half a mind to smack that smile right off your face," she hissed.

Fang snorted. "It's not like you were complaining an hour ago."

"Oh God, okay, we are not having this conversation in front of my sister and Iggy."

"Why? If anything, we understa-OW!" Iggy rubbed his arm where Ella had whacked him. "What the hell, El?"

"Moving on," Ella and Max said in unison. Ella walked into the living room and called the rest of the kids into the kitchen for dinner.

"Is mom coming?" Max asked.

"She's working late at the clinic. Apparently some guy came in with raccoon bites all along his face and half of his ear was missing."

"They have _hospitals_ for that," Nudge looked disgusted. "Why does your mom have to deal with that?"

"She _is_ the hospital, remember?" Ella shook her head. " _And_ the pharmacy, _and_ the vet, _and_ the butcher."

"Oh my God!" Nudge cried. "That's _disgusting_. And sad."

"Remind me to never eat any meat Dr. M brings home," Fang whispered to Gazzy.

"Don't worry, guys, we'll be in actual civilization this time tomorrow." Max declared. "Everyone packed?"

Everyone nodded, except Ella. "Bring me back a souvenir. A picture of an actual cityscape, maybe. I'm seriously sick of staring at fields all day."

"Will do," Iggy said, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. "But I don't think it's _that_ bad. It all looks the same to me." He cackled and high fived Gazzy.

"It's the last CSM show," Max continued. "How bad could it be?"

 **What do you guys think of chapter 1? Too short? How could I change the tone/voice to fit Ella better? Is it too cheesy or does it actually sound legit? Are any characters OOC? Any other suggestions/additions/changes I need to make?**

 **Thanks for reading, guys! I'm just trying to figure out how to do my best with the story. I have some pretty cool things planned for it, though, so we'll see what happens.**

 **Continuation and updates may be spotty; I'm trying to challenge myself to update like once a week but, we'll see. Writer's block and loss of motivation are** ** _killers_** **.**


	2. Ambush

**Thank you so much to FaxFiction and ryankrage for the reviews! You don't know how helpful they are to hear your feedback. I will definitely try to deliver with the next few chapters!**

Max

They'd been flying for twelve hours straight, and Max was ready to drop.

 _If_ I'm _tired, then everyone else must be ready to lie down and die._

"Okay, flock. Let's take a break," Max said, angling her wings into a dive.

"Thank _God_!" Nudge cried. "Ohmigod, I think my wings are about to fall off."

"I lost all feeling in mine like, two hours ago," Gazzy declared, following Max into her dive.

"Where are we, exactly?" Iggy asked. "It feels like we've flown over two states, at least."

"We're either in Iowa, or Illinois," Fang told him, tapping his ankle as he flew by. "Head for 7 o'clock, Ig."

"Roger, copy that."

Fang just rolled his eyes. Gazzy snickered.

Angel was racing to keep up with Max.

Because of their history of disagreements through the years, Max had finally agreed to compromise with Angel, and let her take over as a sort of co-leader to the flock.

Max was just thankful no one wanted to kick her out anymore.

She'd also agreed that after awhile, she'd run the flock like a dictatorship, and had tried her best to turn the flock into a democracy. Everyone had input, and this time, it was actually acknowledged.

Max still rolled her eyes whenever anybody complained that she didn't listen when she disagreed with anyone's ideas, especially Gazzy's. But it wasn't her fault that they were dumb ideas anyway, and everyone else agreed that they were.

 _Max knows best_.

Everyone knew it was true. They just didn't want to say it.

On the ground, they took shelter in a small forest, out of sight. Not that there was anyone to see them. Wherever they hell they were, it was just as empty as Nebraska.

Max tucked her wings against her body and groaned as the muscles were finally relaxed. Fang came up behind her and pulled her into his chest. "You okay?"

"Fine," she patted his hands and leaned back. "Glad this is the last CSM show, _ever_."

Fang snorted. "I was beginning to feel like a trained monkey."

"Trained _flying_ monkey, you mean."

"Does that make you the Wicked Witch?"

"Yes!" Several voices chorused.

"Just because we're a democracy, it doesn't mean you have to give your opinions _all_ the time," Max grumbled, pulling away from Fang and opening her backpack to distribute water and energy bars.

"Yes, it does," Iggy said. "First Amendment, Max; freedom of speech."

"I'm surprised you know that."

"Ella's trying her best to make me smart."

"It's not too late to tell her you're a hopeless case," Fang said and ducked as Iggy flung out his arm to smack him.

"You're lucky I missed, I wouldn't want to rattle the rocks in your head," Iggy flipped him the bird and flopped onto the grass next to Gazzy and Nudge.

"He's kind of right, you know," Angel said to Fang. "There's not much in there."

"Hey!"

Angel smiled sweetly at him.

Max rolled her eyes as Fang gave her a small half-smile in return.

 _He's such a softie._

"I feel like we need tinfoil hats or something," Max sat down and leaned against a tree.

"That doesn't work!" Angel called as she began picking dandelions to weave into a crown.

"I tried," Gazzy admitted. "And it didn't change a thing."

"Better keep your thoughts PG, lovebirds," Iggy grinned. "The small child has access to any and all of those R rated fantasies."

"You would know," Fang shot back.

"Oh, ew, Iggy, _really_?" Max groaned.

Angel gave her a deadpan look. "At least you don't actually have to _see_ it."

"I _so_ did not need that mental picture," Nudge shuddered. "About _any_ of you." She wrapped an arm around Angel. "You poor thing."

Gazzy looked green, and Max paused, staring at him.

 _Is he uncomfortable, or just… oh God. Oh no._

Max shot up. "Gazzy. Don't do it."

But it was too late; the smell hit her a second before the sound did.

" _Gazzy_!" Nudge shrieked. "My eyes are burning, oh my God, agh, I can't see…"

"Nice one!" Iggy leaned over and high fived him, holding his nose closed with his other hand.

Fang coughed a few times and stood up. "Who's ready to get going again?"

"ME!" Nudge and Angel cried, flapping their wings and taking off to get away from the smell.

"It's not my fault, you guys made me uncomfortable!" Gazzy complained, following them into the air.

"Is that a new puberty thing?" Max asked. "Because then that is up to Fang to discuss with you. I'm not having _any_ part of that."

"Don't _say_ that word!" Gazzy shrieked. "I'm fine!"

"Wait till you start to sound like Mickey Mouse with a head cold, then it _really_ gets fun," Iggy said.

"What's puberty?" Angel asked.

"Yeah, Max, what is it?" Iggy cackled.

Max contemplated pulling her wings in and plummeting to the ground.

"Hey, what's that?" Fang interrupted. Max glanced at him gratefully, and looked to where he was pointing.

She saw a large group of figures on the horizon, rapidly approaching at full speed.

"They're too big to be eagles," Max said. "What birds are native that are bigger than eagles?"

"They're not birds," Angel said, flapping her wings and banking. "We have to go, now."

"What are they?"

"Erasers."

" _Erasers?"_ Max asked as the flock changed direction and headed north, away from the flying things. "I thought they were all retired years ago."

"All I know is their thoughts _sound_ like Eraser thoughts. But these ones are different than the other flying ones."

"What's so different-" Max began, but was cut off when a thick, hairy hand wrapped around her ankle and pulled.

"Miss me?" Hot breath on her neck made her skin crawl.

 _It can't be_.

She kicked, shaking free and flapping hard, but now there were more hands grasping at her.

The flock was having the same problem. Erasers swarmed, and the flock split up. Nudge took one down with a roundhouse kick, but he just opened his wings and caught himself before he could hit the ground. Gazzy tapped Iggy's hand and they both flew up and away, Erasers in hot pursuit.

"See? I _told_ you!" Angel cried as she kicked an Eraser in the face.

"That's not possible!"

"Oh, but it is, Maxie," the first Eraser circled back around, grinning. "Remember me? It's been awhile, but come on. You wouldn't forget your own brother, would you?"

" _Ari_?"

"Bingo."

They hovered, facing off. Max jabbed at him with a karate chop but he easily blocked it.

"You're out of practice," he tsked, wrenching her arm. Max cried out in pain.

Fang dove for Ari, but more Erasers followed, and Fang had no choice but to turn around and defend himself.

"You may have noticed something different about these Erasers," Ari continued conversationally, Max's arm still in his grasp. "They're smaller, more aerodynamic, and can you guess what else?"

Max grit her teeth and slammed her foot into his groin before pushing off and ripping her arm from his hold. "Don't know, don't care, Ari. I'd tell you to go piss on a fire hydrant, but it looks like you're having issues." She snickered as he howled in pain. She aimed a karate chop to his neck, and this time, made contact.

The blow distracted Ari enough that he stopped flying, and began to fall, quickly.

The other Erasers turned on her, then.

"Hello, boys, long time no see," Max said, barreling into one, fists smashing into his muzzle.

 _I've missed this_.

Another reached for her, but Nudge soared between them, clapping her hands over his ears and hammering her forehead into his nose. There was an audible crunch, and the Eraser clutched his face, and he too began to drop.

"Ig! Three of them at twelve o'clock!" Fang called, punching another Eraser in the gut.

"Got it!" Iggy flew at them fearlessly, managing to get one below the chin, and elbowed another in the throat.

"Guys!" Gazzy called. He was surrounded by five Erasers, each one lunging at him, growling.

"Gazzy! Fart!" Max cried, for lack of a better suggestion.

"I used it all up back on the ground!"

"Damn it," she muttered, rushing to help. She grabbed one by the wings, knowing it was a sensitive spot for them, and tugged. She expected to hear stitches rip, but instead, the wolf just whirled and glared.

"Sorry, girlie. That don't work anymore."

Max felt her blood run cold. "What-"

"They're a new hybrid," Ari said behind her, catching her by surprise and landed a punch to her jaw. "94% human, 2% wolf, and can you guess the extra 2%?"

"That's impossible," Max gasped, jaw stinging.

"Three years ago, maybe, but not anymore." This time, Ari's fist smashed into Max's nose. "I'm the last of my kind, cobbled together, but the rest of them are fresh, new experiments straight out of the labs."

"We shut down those labs!" Max wheeled back, and dodged another punch. She glanced back at her flock, and saw they were struggling, just as much as she was.

 _There are too many of them. We're too out of practice._

"Have you heard of the hydra? Because that's what ITEX is, Max. You cut off one head, two more grow back in its place." Ari grabbed her wrist again, and wrenched it behind her back. "And lucky for you, you're going to see where all the heads come from."

With a crack, Max's shoulder popped from its socket. She choked on her scream as pain shot down her arm, white hot and burning.

"MAX!" Fang dove, reaching for her, but another Eraser body-slammed him. Fang hurtled through the air. Two Erasers swooped down and caught him up in a net. Fang thrashed, but with a blow to the head, he stopped moving.

"FANG!" Max struggled against Ari, but every movement jarred her arm. Blackness began dotting the edges of her vision.

"Ari! We want them unharmed!" One Eraser snarled.

"She'll be fine. It'll heal in a day or two," Ari said dismissively. "Get the others. We have to get them back to base by tonight."

Max watched helplessly as the rest of the flock was wrapped into nets, one by one.

Ari shoved her into her own net, and gathered the ends. "Time to go."

"The only place you're going is to hell," Max grit out.

Ari laughed. "See you there."

The last thing Max saw was Ari's paw swinging towards her face.

Then, everything went black.

 **…and that was chapter two! Chapter three is mostly written already, and I think it's the most exciting one yet. It's why I decided to write this story, so fingers crossed that it goes well. Tell me what you guys thought! Thanks!**


	3. Surprise Visitor

**Two chapters in two days? I'm on a roll!**

 **No, but seriously. I actually had this written awhile ago. So the rest of the updates will take the normal amount of time, a few days to write and edit. I'm actually editing my stuff this time. Who knew it improved the story?**

 **As always, let me know what you think!**

Ella

It had been two weeks since the flock had left for Chicago, and there hadn't been any word from them since. It wasn't unusual for them to go a few days without checking in, but two weeks was a lot of time, and Ella was beginning to worry.

She missed everyone; she missed Max, and Nudge, Angel, Gazzy, and even Fang. But most of all, she missed Iggy.

She missed sitting in the kitchen with him as he cooked. She missed reading to him every night after dinner. She missed being a normal couple.

Well, as normal as a couple with a mutant bird kid and a teenage girl could be.

Not long after they'd shut down ITEX, Iggy and Ella had finally gotten together. They'd finally gotten to do couple-y things. His blindness had forced them to be creative; no movies dates, no plays, no bowling (not that they could find many things to in Nebraska anyway), but they found the odd concert, or even just went for a fly.

Well, Iggy flew. He carried Ella, and she tried her best not to look down.

But still, it was exhilarating to be high in the air, soaring through the sky. She got to experience a piece of Iggy's life that no one outside the flock could.

Bored out of her mind, Ella lounged in the backyard with a book, and soon found her eyes drifting from the pages to the sky above.

 _Is that…?_

She saw an outline come closer, a familiar one, with two wings and arms and legs.

 _The flock? But why just one?_

She stood, and waited for them to draw closer. As they spiraled towards the ground, Ella realized who it was.

 _Definitely_ not _a flock member._

The blonde hair, brown wings, and tall build were familiar, but unpleasantly so.

Dylan had found her.

She stopped short and warily began backing up to the house as he landed.

"Ella?" He said breathlessly, hands on knees. "Ella, thank God."

"What do you want?" She asked coldly. "How did you find me?"

"Something terrible has happened." He took a step forward, matching Ella as she retreated.

"What?"

"You haven't heard from anyone in the flock lately, have you?"

 _How does he know that?_

"No. They're in Chicago on a CSM trip."

"They weren't there when I checked."

"I wonder _why_."

Dylan winced. "I deserve that."

Ella glared. "Just go away. You have ten seconds before I call-"

"I can't. I need your help."

"Why would you want _my_ help?" Ella spread her arms. "No wings. No fighting skills. I'm 100% human. What could I _possibly_ help you with?"

"You're the only one left. The flock's gone."

"What do you mean, 'gone'?" She demanded. "Is this a trick?"

Dylan pulled in his wings and stretched out his hand in a pleading gesture. "Please, Ella. I'm begging you to trust me. Their lives are at stake."

Ella finally took a step toward him. "You better be telling the truth."

"I am." He glanced at the house. "Can we go inside? I don't want to risk anyone seeing us."

"We're in the middle of _Nebraska_ , Dylan. CSM relocated us here so no one would find us." She sighed. "But I guess you managed to, somehow, so, okay. Whatever. Let's go inside."

Valencia was gone at work and wouldn't be back until late, and Jeb rarely ever dropped by, so the house was mercifully empty.

Ella wondered if that was a bad thing.

He sat at the kitchen table; Ella leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. Dylan noted that she was standing uncomfortably close to the knife block, but wisely chose not to say anything.

"You wanted to talk, so, talk." Her eyes were hard. Dylan guessed that Fang had taught her that.

Dylan took a breath and let it out. "The flock's been captured."

" _What?_ " Ella reeled, clutching the countertop behind her. " _How_?"

"ITEX. They caught them in the middle of Illinois on their way to a meeting with the CSM board of directors in Chicago. They took them up to one of their main facilities, in North Dakota."

 _Captured. Again._ "How do you know all this?"

Dylan gave her a wry smile. "Dr. Guenther Hagen. When I switched sides, he took me back as his sort of adopted son-slash-lab assistant. I know almost everything."

"So, you need my help getting them out of North Dakota and back here?"

"No. That's not the worst part."

"Oh God, there's more?"

"They were auctioned off to the highest bidder. That is, to the highest bidding _countries_. They're going to be trained and implemented as part of the different militaries throughout the world."

Ella could only gape at him.

"They've been split up across the globe. Guenther Hagen managed to make sure that Max remained in the states, so she was transported to D.C. The last I'd heard, the president was planning on keeping her in Area 51." Another wry smile. "Who would think one of the myths of Area 51 would actually be true? They're hiding mutants there."

"And the others? Where did everyone else go?" _Where did Iggy go?_

" Fang has been sent to Russia. The president of Russia almost outbid the US for Max too." Dylan didn't seem very crushed by their separation. "Nudge is in France. Apparently France has the world's 5th largest military, right above the UK, which is where Angel is. Gazzy is in India, and Iggy's in China."

Ella slumped back against the counter. _China_.

"Despite his blindness, the Chinese still wanted him. I think they'd heard of his expertise with bombs." Dylan's face grew concerned. "Ella? Are you okay? You're white as a sheet."

"I… may need to sit down," she mumbled, groping for a chair and falling into it.

 _They're gone. All of them. Split up, alone… oh my God._

"Here." Dylan stood and got her a glass of water. He sat back down across from her, and waited until she had composed herself enough to speak.

"But… how can _I_ help?" Ella finally asked. "I'm completely normal; no wings, no superpowers, nothing. I can't fight, I can't fly. Why haven't you gone to CSM about this? Nino Pierpoint? My _mom_? _Jeb_?"

Dylan looked away. "Jeb's in on it. He's been covering for the flock, telling CSM they've had to drop out of contact for awhile to work some things out amongst themselves."

"Jeb?" Ella shook her head. "That's impossible. He's been the closest friend we've had."

"I'm sorry, Ella. He's been lying to all of you."

Ella had to take another sip of her water. She felt a lump build in her throat and took a shaky breath.

 _Not this again._ "Max kept saying he was untrustworthy. None of us believed her. I should have listened."

"There's nothing you could've done. Dealing with ITEX is like jumping into a pit of vipers. You're going to get bitten as soon as you make contact."

Another sip, and she managed to calm down. "So. How exactly do I help?"

Dylan leaned in. "What I'm going to ask is very dangerous, and very illegal. You have a serious chance of dying, or worse if caught. ITEX is ruthless. They're cruel and dangerous and they won't hesitate to kill you."

Ella dragged a hand through her hair again. "Just tell me, Dylan."

"I need your help to rescue them all."

"Are-are you _kidding_ me?"

"No, I'm dead serious." Ella began shaking her head, but Dylan pressed on. "You're smart. You're the only other person who I can trust who the flock also trusts. You know the ins and outs of ITEX."

"Barely."

"You're inconspicuous, and they don't know your face. You can travel virtually anywhere without detection."

"So can you. You can _fly_ there. I would have to actually take planes."

"I can't fly for long distances across oceans. None of the flock can. We may have superhuman stamina, but it doesn't cover flying for seventeen hours straight."

"You're crazy. This whole idea is crazy."

"Do you want them back, or not?" Dylan snapped. "Because if you don't help me, Ella, then that's what's gonna happen. Jeb and Dr. Guenther Hagen will make sure that they don't ever come back together again. You won't see them ever again. Come with me. You have to _run_ , Ella. You're in danger."

"How? They can't find me, remember?"

"I did. And when they notice I'm gone, they'll look for me. Jeb knows where you guys are."

Ella rubbed her eyes, and Dylan leaned back to let her process everything.

"There's one more thing."

"I don't think I can handle it, right now."

"They want _you_ , Ella."

She dropped her hands from her face. " _Me_? Why?"

"Guenther Hagen mentioned that they wanted to see if they could graft wings onto a human, wings that actually worked."

Ella felt her blood run cold. "Hadn't they done that before?"

"With other mutants. You're not a mutant, and they don't know how well it would work."

"Why _me_?"

"You're important to the flock. You're part of it."

It was all too much; Ella felt her eyes prick and her vision swam. "I haven't done anything."

"You're Max's half sister. You have some of the genes she does, so they can compare you two on a scientific level. You're important to Iggy. ITEX is messed up, Ella. They're not above using you as a bargaining chip to keep both Max and Iggy in line. And if they're is cooperating, then the rest of the flock will."

Ella pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes. "How did you know about me and Iggy?"

"Jeb."

"That… that _bastard_."

They sat in silence for a few moments, until Dylan stood. "Ready to go?"

" _Now_?"

"We don't have much time."

"What do I tell my mom?"

Dylan looked pained. "Leave a note? But nothing that could be traced back to you. Tell her you've gone to surprise the flock in Chicago." He nodded. "Yeah. That. Jeb will back that up. He'll probably say you tagged along on their 'retreat'." He glanced anxiously out the window at the sky. "Hurry. We have to go, _now_."

Ella swallowed and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "O-okay. Do I pack, or, or what? I've never done this before."

"Get a backpack, fill it with water bottles, energy bars, non perishable food items. Pack a change of clothes, at least five pairs of underwear and socks, some money if you have it. But nothing else. You'll have to travel light, and be ready to run at a moment's notice. When we stop for the night, I'll show you what to do."

"Where will we be stopping?"

"Since Max is the only flock member in the US, she's the one we're going to rescue first. Since she's being held in Nevada, we'll head west. By tonight, we'll either stop in Wyoming or Utah. It'll depend on where we are when it gets too dark to fly."

" _Fly_? Dylan, I told you, I can't."

Dylan looked her up and down. "I know. I'm going to carry you."

"You can do that?"

"Super strength. Perks of being a mutant."

Ella didn't give herself a chance to feel nervous, and ran upstairs to grab her stuff.

She knew that there was no room for fear; she had to act now and put her emotions on the back burner for later. Dylan had made that clear; she was going into battle, going up against dangerous people. But he had also made it clear that by staying home, she'd be in even more danger.

 _When there's time, then I'll deal with all this shit._

When she went back downstairs, Dylan was already shoving half of the cans of food in the pantry into his backpack and tossed her the other half. Ella scrawled a quick note to her mom.

 _Mom. I went to go surprise everyone in Chicago, and visit them for awhile. I'm sorry it's sudden, but, well, I miss them, I guess._

 _I've booked a flight to O'Hare and it leaves in a few hours. I'll be fine, don't worry. I've got people looking after me._

 _Call you when I land._

 _Love, Ella._

"Perfect," Dylan said.

"She is _so_ going to kill me."

"That doesn't matter. What matters is we leave before-"

A crashing sound echoed through the house. Glass broke as large shapes hurled themselves through the windows and in front of the two teens.

Ella saw only glimpses of glinting teeth and yellow eyes before Dylan grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly behind the counter, towards the back door.

"Ella, get outside, _now_!"

She hiked up her backpack and lunged for the door, only to be intercepted by a large, snarling wolf.

It advanced, forcing Ella back against the counter.

"Ella Martinez?" It growled. "You're coming with us."

She eyed the knife block. _Should I…?_

The wolf lunged.

 _Oh, yeah. I definitely should._

Ella grabbed a knife and slashed it at the wolf, slicing him along the forearm. Blood pooled and began matting the thick, dark fur. The wolf howled in pain, and anger, and lunged at her again.

This time, she was ready.

Ella ducked and scrambled towards the door, only to be yanked back as the wolf snagged her backpack strap.

"You little bitch!" He roared. "You'll pay for that!"

"Let go!"

"I don't think so," he began dragging her towards the door, but Ella gripped the knife and stabbed at his hand.

The knife sliced through the webbing between his thumb and forefinger. Blood spurted, and the wolf howled in pain. He loosened his hold on her to tug the knife out, and Ella wrenched herself away from him and through the back door.

Unfortunately, the backyard was a large, wide-open space. She was a sitting duck.

"Ella, run for the trees!" Dylan shouted through the broken windows, grappling with two wolves at a time.

"But-"

"I'll be fine! Wait for me!"

Ella turned and ran.

She heard howls and shouts behind her, getting closer. Her backpack dangled from one strap, the other one shredded from the Eraser's claws.

"I'll get you, you little bitch!" She felt hot breath on the back of her neck, and pumped her legs even faster.

 _Oh God oh God oh God oh God-_

A hand wrapped around her arm and flung her backwards onto the ground. Ella looked up into a leering face, the snout dripping with drool.

"That was a naughty trick with the knife, sweetheart." He leaned in closer. "You look pretty tasty, just like your sister. Or should I say, _our_ sister."

"Get off her!" Someone shouted, and then Dylan was there, tackling the Eraser off of Ella.

"Dylan? I knew it! You're a traitor, just like the rest of the damn flock." The Eraser said as he grappled with Dylan on the ground.

Dylan slammed the Eraser's head into the ground and managed to disentangle himself from the Eraser's hold. He grabbed Ella, sliding an arm underneath each of her armpits before jumping as hard as he could. His wings snapped open, flapping hard to get them aloft, unused to the extra weight.

"You, Ari, are the real traitor," Dylan spat before heading skyward.

The ground quickly got farther and farther away, and yet they could still hear the howl of anger that followed.

"You know that guy?" Ella gasped. "Why did he call Max _our_ sister."

"His name's Ari. He's kind of Max's half brother."

That was the last straw. Ella's vision began to swim again, but this time, black spots began appearing at the edges of her vision. "Oh my God. Dylan. I'm gonna, oh God, I'm gonna puke-"

She made the mistake of looking down, and her stomach roiled at seeing the tiny dot of the house grow even smaller.

"Look up, Ella, look _up_. Breathe, come on. You have to keep it together right now."

"How can I? I was just _attacked_ by a giant wolf-thing that knew my name and he's Max's half brother and I've never been this high in the air without an airplane, and _oh my God-"_

"Ella!" Dylan managed to heave her into his arms, one arm beneath her knees, the other behind her back. "Look up, okay? Just, keep it together right now. That's the best thing you can do, because the flock needs you conscious and focused."

Ella closed her eyes and took a few breaths through her nose. "I'm-I'm calm. I think."

"Good. I promise, when we make camp, I'll finish explaining, and we can start training."

"Training?"

"You said you didn't know how to fight. You're going to need to." Dylan grinned down at her. "But from what I just saw, I think you're pretty decent on your own. Nice job, back there in the kitchen."

"Thanks. Living with the flock, you pick up some moves."

"Good. You're gonna need them."


	4. The Auction

**ryankrage77, you rock. Thanks so much for all the feedback, and I'm thrilled you like it so much.**

 **As for how the militaries will control the flock members, well, you'll see, especially in this chapter. But to be honest, even I'm not 100% sure. I have a general outline of each chapter, but as the plot progresses, I'm sure it will deviate from my plan, as stories often do. But at least I've got a plan in mind, and I think it'll work out pretty well. Thanks again!**

Ella

"Ella, wake up. We're stopping."

She stretched drowsily and opened her eyes. "Where are we?"

Then she realized she was still in the air. And Iggy definitely wasn't holding her.

"Oh, God, I thought it was all a bad dream," she groaned, rubbing her eyes.

"Sorry. Wish I could say it was, but here we are. Hang on," Dylan angled into a dive, and Ella shrieked.

When Dylan alighted onto solid ground, he did his best to gently set Ella on her feet, but she clumsily stumbled to her knees, and sat back in the grass with a relieved sigh.

Dylan winced and shook out his arms.

"You okay?"

"Fine," he stretched. "Not that you're heavy, but carrying _anything_ for six hours is a little taxing."

Ella winced. "Sorry about that."

Dylan shrugged her off. "No big. I need the strength training."

She snorted, and looked around. Dylan had landed in small clearing in the middle of a thick forest. "Where are we?"

"Wyoming, I'm pretty sure. Tomorrow, onto Utah. From there, Nevada."

"What happens when we get to Nevada? I don't think we can just stroll into Area 51 unnoticed."

Dylan began gathering firewood. "It depends. _You_ could go in, because you're inconspicuous. On the other hand, I could go in and easily get Max. The downside is, then Guenther Hagen will know where we are."

Ella began unloading cans of food from her bag. "So, if I go in, how do I get her out? Wouldn't she be under a _ton_ of security?"

"That's true, but they train the School lab technicians at extremely early ages. You'd fit in."

"I can't exactly waltz out with Max, though." She found and arranged several rocks into a circle for a fire pit, and Dylan soon got a fire blazing.

"I'm working on that."

Conversation lapsed, and they heated cans of ravioli over the campfire. Ella could almost pretend she was camping.

 _It's not like I'm camping with one of the flock's worst enemies, or anything. And there are no smores._

"So, you mentioned teaching me to fight?" Ella asked.

Dylan yawned. "Tomorrow. But you're absolutely right; you need to know the basics if we're going to be on the run for so long."

"And that would be, how much time?"

Dylan shrugged. "Days, weeks. Hell, this could even take months. It depends on how quickly we get to the flock."

Ella felt her eyelids droop. "Okay. I'll do the math later. I'm exhausted."

"Get some sleep. We're going to leave tomorrow as early as possible."

"Can't wait."

They bid each other goodnight, and when Ella curled up with her backpack as a pillow, she found herself missing her mom. And Max, and the flock. But most of all, she missed Iggy.

 _Please be okay. I'm coming for you._

Max

 _She'd awoken in the dark._

 _"Sound off," Max groaned._

 _"Alive."_

 _"Same here."_

 _"Me too."_

 _"Are we dead?"_

 _"My head really frigging hurts."_

 _Max sat up, bumped into someone. Her shoulder bones grated against each other, and she cried out._

 _"Max?" Fang's gentle hands ran up her arm, slowly. "What is it?"_

 _"My shoulder. Can't move it."_

 _"Iggy, check this out. I can't see it."_

 _"Like_ I _can?" But Iggy's fingers roamed her shoulder, gently prodding the space where the joint had popped out. "It's dislocated. Just pop it back in, it'll be fine."_

 _"Can you do it, Fang?"_

 _"Yeah." Max felt his hands grip her arm and shoulder. "On three. One-" he shoved the joint back into place._

 _Max couldn't help but scream._

 _"What the_ hell _, Fang?" She cradled her arm. "Oh my God."_

 _He didn't sound apologetic. "It's fixed."_

 _"Gee, tha-AH!"_

 _Everyone shouted in surprise and in pain as a sudden light extinguished the darkness._

 _"What happened?" Iggy asked._

 _"Welcome to base," a new voice cut through the confusion._

 _Max's eyes slowly adjusted, and she realized they were in a jail cell. The door was just a wall of bars, and when Max's eyes stopped hurting, she recoiled in disbelief when she recognized the figure standing on the other side._

 _"_ Jeb _?"_

 _"Hello, Max."_

 _"What happened? Where are we?"_

 _"You're in North Dakota. This is ITEX's base facility."_

 _Fang stood. "You had them put us here."_

 _"Correct."_

 _Max could only gape. "You…_ what _?"_

 _Jeb sighed, and sank into a nearby chair. "You see, Max, through your work with CSM, other countries became aware of your presences, and they were… curious, to say the least."_

 _"What does that mean?" She spat. "Cut the bullshit, Jeb. What's going on?"_

 _He steepled his fingers. "Well, they're interested in hiring all of you on as soldiers."_

 _"Not interested."_

 _"Unfortunately, that's not an option."_

 _"What do you mean by_ that _?" Fang glared. "Not an option?"_

 _"They were willing to pay very large sums of money for you. For all of you."_

 _"Not this again," Iggy groaned. "Remember when they tried to buy us last time? That didn't go well."_

 _Jeb's lips twitched. "Yes, well, the Uber Director was quite unprepared to handle all of you._ We _are."_

 _"So, what, you're going to…_ sell _us?" Max strode forward and shook the bars. "I don't think so, asshole. Let us go._ Now _."_

 _Jeb shook his head and stood. "I'm sorry, Max. I can't do that."_

 _"You traitor!" She snapped. "We trusted you, for_ three years _, and this is how you repay us?"_

 _Jeb shrugged, looking pained. "I'm sorry, I truly am."_

 _"You're not," Angel said, matter-of-factly. "I'm reading your mind, and you don't care at all."_

 _Jeb didn't argue, and that was answer enough for Max._

 _Nudge started crying softly. Gazzy looked too shocked to say anything._

 _"I knew you were twisted before, but_ really _?" Iggy angrily pointed a finger at Jeb. "You let them_ torture _us, you let them_ take my eyes _, and after gaining our trust after all that, you're going to stab us in the back like this?"_

 _"I'm sor-"_

 _"Don't!" Fang slammed his fist against the bars._ " _Don't even_ try _to apologize, because IT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING!"_

 _Nudge's crying grew louder._

 _Jeb sighed. "I see I've upset you. I'll come back in a bit."_

 _"Come back here, you sociopathic dickhead!" Max yelled. "What are you telling my mom? And Ella? What about Chicago?"_

 _Jeb looked back and shook his head. "Max. There never was a CSM show in Chicago."_

 _"JEB!"_

 _But had already walked away._

* * *

 _"Are these them? All of the hybrids?" A woman asked from one of the many television screens lining the walls. Men and women sat behind desks, framed in their own screens, and all had their eyes on the flock._

 _"Yes, this is them," Jeb said._

 _The flock huddled in a small clump. Armed guards lined the walls, eyes trained on the flock._

 _"Which one is the leader?"_

 _"Me," Max said defiantly. "And if you think you can split us up, you can stick your head-"_

 _"This is Max," Jeb interrupted. "She's the leader. She's stronger than the average human, runs and fights faster, can see sharper than any telescope or camera, and she can fly faster than any of the other flock members. We've clocked her velocity at over 250 mph. She can also breathe underwater."_

 _"Can they all do that?" A man asked._

 _"No, only her, the youngest girl, Angel, and the oldest male, Fang. However, they all possess heightened metabolisms, can heal on average three times faster than the average human, and are stronger and faster fighters."_

 _Interesting. And the rest?" Another man asked._

 _"The dark one is Fang. He has the ability to blend in with his surroundings if he stands still for a long enough period of time. As I mentioned before, he possesses gills."_

 _"Don't talk about us as if we're not here," Max snapped._

 _Jeb turned to her. "If I allow you to introduce yourselves, then things will get out of hand."_

 _"Like I care." Max stepped forward. "We're not here to be sold like cattle, okay? These kids," Max waved an arm at the flock, "are my_ family _. We've been together through things you couldn't even_ imagine _. We survive together, as a team. If one of us goes, we all go."_

 _"They have strong emotional attachments to each other," another woman observed._

 _"Unfortunately, yes," Jeb agreed, as if Max hadn't spoken. "Max and Fang, especially, have become emotionally bonded. However, not physically," he cast a glance at them. "At least, as far as I know."_

 _Fang gripped Max's hand. "It's called love," he snapped. "But you wouldn't know anything about that."_

 _Jeb stared, shocked, and the first woman raised her eyebrow. "He's also quite outspoken."_

 _"They all are." Jeb admitted. "But I'm sure that can be remedied with proper instruction."_

 _"Are they a package deal?"_

 _"Not necessarily. We'd hoped Max would have mated with another experiment, but she rejected him and our plans."_

 _"Dylan was a creep, and you know it," Max hissed._

 _And the rest of them?" Another man asked. "What about their skills?"_

 _"Iggy is blind. However, he is an expert in pyrotechnics, and has developed the ability to feel colors."_

 _"They_ made _me blind," Iggy stated. "I didn't start out like this."_

 _"You, er,_ damaged _him?"_

 _"He's_ not _damaged!" Nudge yelled. "None of us are."_

 _"This is Nudge," Jeb continued, ignoring her. "She can hack into any electronic system, bypass any firewall, and retrieve data faster than any computerized database. She's also slightly magnetic. Gazzy," Jeb pointed, "has an unfortunate, but debilitating power. For lack better words, his farts are as toxic as clouds of chlorine gas."_

 _Max nodded to Gazzy. "On that note, I think it's time for a demonstration."_

 _"You make one move to escape," Jeb whispered coolly, "and the next time I come home, Ella and Valencia won't live through the night."_

 _"You wouldn't."_

 _"I would. One wrong move, Max, and your mother and sister are terminated."_

 _"Max," Iggy said quietly. "Please. Don't."_

 _"We_ have _to escape!" She snapped._

 _"It won't work," Jeb cut in. "You'd be dead before you could move two feet."_

 _The guards all stepped forward and leveled their guns at the flock._

 _Max narrowed her eyes. "Do it. I dare you."_

 _"Is there an issue?" A woman asked, her voice lilting with a British accent. "Because we can discuss this at another time-"_

 _"No, no," Jeb assured her. "Everything is under control."_

 _"Then I'm curious about the youngest girl," she continued. "Tell me about her."_

 _Jeb smiled and placed his hands on Angel's shoulders. "This is Angel. She's the crown jewel of the flock. She has the ability to read and control minds." He paused to let it sink in, relishing the gasps of disbelief from the other buyers. "Oh, yes, it's true. She also breathe underwater, and is easily the most intelligent of the flock."_

 _Max snorted._

 _The woman nodded, clearly interested. "She's darling. How much?"_

 _Jeb smiled. "I'm pleased you have such an interest in her. Starting bid is $100,000."_

 _Max lunged at Jeb. "NO-"_

 _Jeb snapped his fingers, and the guards immediately raised their guns and aimed at Fang._

 _"One more step and they shoot him." Jeb said. "So I think you should make that choice wisely."_

 _Max glanced at Fang. He shook his head, imperceptibly, mouthing the words,_ don't back down. _The sounds of triggers cocking echoed throughout._

 _Max glared daggers at Jeb, but stepped back into place. The guards leaned back against the wall, but continued to stare them down.._

 _"Now, then. Angel, starting at a bid of $100,000. Do I hear $200,000?"_

 _"$200,000," the British woman raised her hand._

 _"$200,000, do I hear $250,000?"_

 _"$250,000," another woman raised her hand. "France would benefit greatly from such a strong weapon."_

 _"She's not a_ weapon _," Max snapped. "She's a little girl."_

 _"$300,000," the British woman said, as if Max hadn't spoken._

 _"$300,000, going once, going twice," Jeb paused for effect. "Sold, to the United Kingdom for $300,000."_

* * *

 _"Going once, going twice, sold! To France for $350,000. Off you go, Nudge," Jeb motioned for the guards to take her away, like they had with Iggy and Gazzy and Angel._

 _Max and Fang were the only ones left._

 _Her hand found its way into his, and he gripped it tight._

 _"Fang here is highly useful in secretive operations. I recommend him to a country with a strong stealth trained military."_

 _"And is he manageable? Would he be too much of an issue like this one," the government official from Russia gestured to Max, "or would he follow orders?"_

 _"He's quiet, but I believe he could be persuaded to cooperate." Jeb grinned, gesturing to the soldiers around the room._

 _Fang gripped her fingers tighter._

 _"She is important to him?" The president of the United States asked. "Why not sell them together?"_

 _"That is an option, to purchase them together, but I believe they would have more incentive to cooperate if they were apart," Jeb explained. "He is the second in command in the flock. He could be a very powerful resource."_

 _"I bid $450,000," the Russian government official said._

 _"$500,000," said the American president._

 _"$550,000."_

 _"$600,000."_

 _"$750,000," the Russian official sat back, looking smug._

 _"Do I hear $800,000?" Jeb asked. "No? Going once, going twice,_ sold _to Russia for $750,000!"_

 _Fang let go of Max's hand and pulled her into his chest. "I love you," he whispered._

 _"I love you too." Max blinked hard to keep any tears at bay, and wrapped her arms around his neck._

 _"Give them hell. We'll find a way out," Fang squeezed her tightly. "Don't stop fighting."_

 _"You either."_

 _Two of the guards roughly pulled Fang away and began leading him out of the room._

 _"Wait," the Russian official called. "I bid $800,000 for Max as well."_

 _"$900,000!" The American president cried, raising his hand._

 _"$1,000,000!" the Russian official challenged._

 _"1,250,000!" The American president was determined not to be outbid._

 _"1,500,000!"_

 _"$2,000,000!"_

 _"$2,000,000, going once!" Jeb called gleefully. "Going twice, and…_ sold _to the president of the United States!"_

 _"You are a sick, twisted bastard," Max spat at Jeb. "I hope you rot in hell."_

 _"Goodbye, Max," he said solemnly. "Until we meet again."_

 _Max couldn't help but shriek in rage as the guards pulled her towards the door. She slammed an elbow into one's gut, and stomped on the other's foot._

 _Fang had followed suit and was fighting off his two escorts. Max broke free and body slammed into a guard, knocking him down._

 _"Max! Fang!" Jeb tried to get them under control. "If you don't stop this right now, the flock will-"_

 _"Touch them, and I will rip you to shreds," she growled, slinging an arm around his throat and pinning his arm behind his back. "Let them go,_ now _."_

 _"They're not my property anymore; I can't do that."_

 _"They were_ never _your property," she snarled. "Release them."_

 _"Actually," the ambassador from France spoke from her monitor, "he's right. They belong to_ us _now."_

 _"Then let them go, or else I kill him."_

 _She raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "That means nothing to me. Go ahead, kill him. But it won't make any of us release them. We've bought them, and that's that."_

 _Max looked to Fang for help, but Jeb managed to nod, and one of the guards fired off a shot. Fang barely dodged the bullet as it grazed past._

 _"Batchelder!" the official from Russia snapped. "If you harm him, the deal's off."_

 _"Then we'll have to resort to other measures," Jeb suddenly smashed his head back into Max's nose._

 _Shocked, her hold loosened and Jeb managed to slip out of her grasp. Two guards tackled her to the floor, and Max saw that Fang had been similarly pinned._

 _"This won't hurt a bit," Jeb said as he slipped a needle into her arm._

 _Max felt the sharp pinch, then a sense of numbness spread throughout._

 _Her eyelids drooped, and the last thing she saw was Fang, and the fear that glinted in his eyes._

* * *

Max blearily opened her eyes, and shivered.

She was _freezing_.

The thin blanket they'd given her was useless against the AC that blasted through the room.

Her room was tiny, and three walls were a faded white, dotted with mysterious stains and smears. Max didn't want to think about what they were from.

The fourth wall was a large mirror that stretched from floor to ceiling, with a door set into one side.

She shifted and sat up, the chains around her ankles jangling with each movement.

 _You'd think for such a famous place they'd have more sophisticated security._

Aside from the chains, her room had only a mattress, and a bowl of water on the floor.

 _At least it's not a cage._

She looked at the dog bowl, and sighed.

 _But still the dog theme continues_.

"Ah, good. You're awake." A voice crackled through the intercom.

Max glared at the mirror. "Where am I?"

"You're in a high-security base for training, Ms. Ride."

"How long have I been here?"

"Five days."

 _"Five days?"_

The door opened with a groan, and Jeb stepped in. "Yes, Max. It's been five days since the sale."

Max stood, and lunged at him, but the chain around her ankle jerked her backwards. "I will KILL YOU!"

"Will you cooperate?" Jeb ignored her, and crossed his arms.

"With _what_?" She cried. "You betrayed us and sold us. We forgave you and trusted you even after all you'd done to us and _now you're doing this?"_

"It's for the best."

"For _who_? _You_?"

"The world."

Max slumped back against the wall. "Great, just what I needed. More 'save the world' bullshit. Well, newsflash! _I already did!"_

"No, Max," Jeb shook his head. "You only began. You see," he calmly approached. "With all of you split up amongst the five countries with the strongest militaries, they now have a cause to work together towards a greater goal. You all want to stay together, to be a family? Well, now you can influence whole nations with your desires, and steer them towards peace."

"My only desire is to rip your throat out."

"You almost did, too. Good moves." He smiled, like they were sharing a private joke.

Max glared. "Like I need approval from _you_."

"Maybe not. But that doesn't matter. What matters is you agree to work with us."

"Like hell I will. I'd rather die."

Jeb sighed and glanced toward the mirror. "Could you send in General Stewart, please?"

The door opened again, and a man in full uniform entered. He looked to be in his sixties, with graying salt and pepper hair, and deep lines etched into his face. His lips were turned down into a stern, almost permanent frown.

"Max, this is General Stewart of the US Army. He's a four-star general, and in charge of the security and order here at Area 51."

"That's actually a _thing_?" Max said before she could stop herself. "I thought it was made up!"

"No, it's very real, I assure you," General Stewart scowled. "And we take secrecy very seriously here. No one knows what goes on inside these walls. We'd like to keep it that way."

"Is that a threat?" Max challenged.

"It doesn't have to be if you don't give us a reason for it to be," Jeb said. "Please, Max. Hear me out. We want you to work for the US government."

"No."

"You'll get your own bedroom," Jeb coaxed. "One much nicer than this cell. No cameras, no two-way mirrors, nothing."

"Not interested."

"Let's see how she is after a few days without any meals. She'll be more agreeable then, I guarantee," General Stewart suggested.

Max scoffed. "What am I, a spoiled child? That won't work."

"Then how about this, Max," Jeb's expression darkened. "If you don't cooperate, then I'll make good on my threat, and I'll kill your mother and sister."

Max met his gaze, fear gnawing at her stomach. "You wouldn't. You're bluffing."

"Believe me, Max. I'm not. But do you want to take that risk and find out?"

She searched his face, but her heart sank when she saw no trace of remorse.

 _He really means it._

"And after them, Max, the flock could be picked off, one by one. Maybe in a tragic accident, maybe they'll conveniently die on a mission, but I promise you, even if they're in different places, I still pull all the strings. You're puppets, Max. You've always been."

With that, Jeb and the general turned to go.

"Let's see how you feel without food for say, five days?" Jeb asked. "I'm sure you have plenty to think about."

The door slammed shut and the deadbolt made a thud as it slid into place.

Max slid to the floor and clasped her arms around her knees, staring at the door.

For the first time in a long time, she was afraid.


	5. Fang's Gang

**Thanks for all the followers and favorites! You guys don't know how much those mean to me, especially reviews! So keep them coming! They help me write faster.**

Ella

"Good punch," Dylan dodged under her arm and swung back around towards her. "Remember, keep your arms up, yeah like that, plant your foot-" he jumped at her and Ella sidestepped. She jabbed her elbow into his back and he went sprawling.

"Nice!" Dylan sat up. "I didn't see that coming. Good one."

Ella bent over her knees, panting. "Can we take a break now?"

"No. Come on, you can do better than that."

"I really can't," she muttered miserably, but crouched in front of Dylan. Her back ached, her shins ached (Dylan had demonstrated a particularly painful roundhouse kick that made her shins feel like he'd split them open), and her fists were sore.

"Erasers don't give you time to take a break," Dylan said, springing at her. "You're going to have to learn to fight through the pain."

" _You're_ the pain," she grumbled, ducking. She wasn't fast enough, and Dylan knocked her to the ground.

"Come on, Ella," Dylan said. "Get up."

She groaned, and stood, wavering on her feet before lunging forwards and punching him square in the nose. Next, she kicked her leg out and sank her heel into his solar plexus. Dylan grunted as he landed on his rear.

"We're done," Ella said, digging a water bottle out of her bag. "At least, _I_ am."

"Good work," Dylan patted her on the back. "The nose punch was really good. You would've broken something if I didn't heal abnormally fast."

Ella tossed him a bottle and they rested in the shade of a nearby tree.

They'd finally made their way into Utah, and were getting closer to Nevada with each passing day. Ella enjoyed the flights, once she'd gotten past the stomach-dropping sensations of seeing the ground so far away.

"So, do you fly often?" Dylan asked. "You didn't close your eyes this time."

Ella laughed. "Yeah, well, I would go flying with Iggy a lot. Oddly enough, I was always fine with him."

"So you'd prefer flying with the _blind_ guy than me? Wow, thanks," Dylan stopped when he saw Ella's deadpan face. "Oh hell, Ella, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Ella cackled, in a way very similar to Iggy. "Got you."

"Good one," Dylan laughed. "But, honestly. You like flying with Iggy better? I mean, he _is_ blind…"

Ella shrugged. "What's he gonna bump into, an airplane? A flock of geese?"

"Good point."

"I don't know, I just… not that I don't trust you, but… I trust Iggy with my life. And flying with him, it's… different."

Dylan nodded, taking a swig from his water bottle. "So you and him, huh?"

"Don't act surprised, you knew about us when you came to get me." Ella didn't mean for it to come out as snappy as it did.

Dylan winced. "Jeb was feeding us information. I'm sorry about that."

Ella nodded, and stood. "I think we should get a move on."

"Hold on," Dylan dug into his bag and tossed her a knife in a sheath. "You were pretty good with that knife back in the house. I figured you should learn to actually fight with one."

Ella hooked it to her belt and pulled the long, sharp blade out. "This is like, a dagger."

"Erasers are tough. You need something just as tough. A kitchen knife was good, but won't cut it, pun not intended."

"A knife is great and all, but what about a gun? Wouldn't that take them down easier?"

"Guns would be incredibly more useful and practical, that's true, but we can't carry around all the ammunition we'd need."

"Why not?"

"Ella, can you hit an Eraser straight in the heart? Can you hit _anything_ in the heart?"

She shook her head.

"They're so tough it would take five to even bring them to their knees. We'd be shooting bullet after bullet at them, and they wouldn't go down. Plus, buying all that ammunition would be ridiculously expensive, and guns are heavy. We have to travel light."

"But the knife means I'd have to get _close_ to them to use it."

Dylan sighed. "Ideally, we'll be gone before they can track us, but you're right. That's why I'm going to teach you to throw it."

Ella started shaking her head violently. "You've never seen me play a sport. You wouldn't be saying this if you had."

"I'm serious, Ella. I think you can do it."

"Fine," she grumbled. "But when you wind up with a knife somewhere it shouldn't be, don't blame me."

Dylan chuckled, and picked Ella up. "When we make camp tonight, then we'll start."

They flew through more of Utah, and by the time they landed, then sun was beginning to sink down past the horizon.

Ella built a fire while Dylan set up camp, and they sat in companionable silence as they ate.

"So, what made you leave?" Ella asked. "Why did you suddenly come get me to save everyone?"

Dylan shrugged. "It's what I had to do."

"Why go along with Guenther-Hagen in the first place?"

"He made me. He's sort of like my father."

Ella shook her head. "Just because he's your 'father' doesn't mean you owe him that courtesy."

"Yeah, well. The flock kicked me out, so what else could I do?"

"You have a point," Ella conceded. "They meant well. But you know Max. She does everything with the flock's best interest in mind."

Dylan looked pained. "The flocks? Or hers?"

Ella narrowed her eyes. "What are you getting at?"

Dylan shrugged again, and took another bite from the can of peaches in his hand. "Choosing Fang wasn't in everyone's best interest."

"I think it was." A jolt went through Ella. "Wait, are you doing all this to save _Max_? _Just_ Max?"

"She was top priority-"

"What, so you were going to leave the rest of the flock where they were?"

Dylan didn't answer.

"Unbelievable. They're my _family_ , Dylan. Did you think you could trick me into forgetting them after we saved Max? Or were we going to 'accidentally' skip over Russia, and China, and India, and everywhere else?"

"Ella, this is about saving _everyone-_ "

"No, this is about _you_ , Dylan. I can't believe you dragged me on this crazy trip just to abandon the rest of my family at the end of it." Ella stood and shouldered her backpack.

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere where I don't have to talk to _you_. I don't spend time with people who betray my family."

"You're not even in the flock," Dylan said bitterly. "You're just like me."

"Wings don't automatically make you a member. It runs deeper than that. Just because I don't have them doesn't mean I'm not part of it." She snapped. "And I am _nothing_ like you. I don't leave people behind."

With that, she turned and stormed into the forest.

"Ella, come back!"

"No!"

"It's too dangerous to go off alone."

"I have a knife, remember?"

"That won't do you any good. You don't know how to use it."

Ella paused. _Damn him_. "Stabbing seems pretty self-explanatory."

"Not with Erasers. You have to aim for specific places. And you don't know where they are." Dylan waited for her to turn around and drop back down in front of the fire.

"I never got why the flock hated you so much. Now I know." She turned on her side, away from him, using her backpack as a pillow.

"Ella," Dylan tried, but she refused to respond.

Eventually, Dylan let the fire burn down, and he himself went to sleep.

"Well, well, look who it is, the traitor and the bitch."

Ella's eyes flew open and before she could do anything, hands grabbed her and tugged her into an upright position.

The Eraser she'd slashed back in Nebraska was leering at her in front of the dying embers of the fire. Dylan was pinned facedown on the ground, three Erasers on him.

"Remember me, sweetheart? Or should I say sis? Half-sis?" He shrugged. "Who cares? I'm going to kill you regardless."

"Ari," Dylan's voice was muffled. "Let her go."

"No can do," Ari shook his head. "You know why. Guenther-Hagen wants her for… research purposes."

Ella struggled against the Eraser holding her, but he only pinched her shoulders and she yelped in pain as she felt his long claws pierce her skin.

"It's best not to struggle, kiddo," Ari said. "Spike here _loves_ scratching things. We think he's got some cat somewhere in his DNA." He noticed the sheath hanging on her belt. "What's this?"

"Don't touch that-"

But Ari was already pulling the knife from the sheath and examining it. "Didn't mommy tell you not to play with sharp things? And this," he tossed it from hand to hand, watching the blade glint in the moonlight, "is _quite_ sharp."

"Give it back," Ella squeaked.

"Don't think so," Ari said with a wicked gleam in his eye. "You know what? I think I want to test out how sharp it is. Do we have any volunteers?"

"Ari, leave her alone!" Dylan cried, still facedown in the dirt.

"Why Dylan, thank you for volunteering! How brave of you." Ari advanced, teeth glinting as he grinned.

"Take one more step, and that knife will be in _your_ heart, not his," a new voice said.

A girl was silhouetted in the moonlight; Ella couldn't see her face, but Ari could.

"Max? But that's impossible!"

"Max?" Dylan cried. He began to struggle. The Erasers held him tighter.

The girl sighed. "How many times to I have to _tell_ you? It's _Maya_. Maybe I should get a nametag or something." She studied Ari. "Can you even read?"

He bristled. "That's it. New plan. Dylan, you're off the hook. _Maya_ here is out new volunteer."

"No thanks, not interested." She stepped out of the shadows, and Ella gasped.

 _She looks just like Max_.

"Now let them go," Maya continued, "and we won't hurt you."

Ari sneered. "Like I'm afraid of some clone like you."

Ella's head spun. _Clone?_

"Five of you against one of me _does_ seem a little unfair. Let's even the playing field." She whistled, and before Ella could blink, Ari was on the ground. A blonde girl stood a few feet away, holding the knife and grinning.

 _"What the hell was that?"_ Ari roared.

"Meet Star. And Kate's around her somewhere-"

The Eraser holding Ella was ripped away and Ella caught herself on her hands. Another girl was holding the Eraser above her head like he weighed nothing, and flung him twenty feet away.

"Here she is," Maya continued. "Ratchet! Holden! Where you guys at?"

"You don't have to yell so loud," a boy complained as he and another boy appeared from the shadows next to Maya. "You _know_ I can hear you."

"Who the hell are you?" One of the other Erasers snarled. "You don't scare us."

"We _don't_? Well, hate to burst your bubble, but you should be scared. NOW!" Maya charged Ari, knocking him back down. Star tossed Ella the knife and joined Kate in attacking the Erasers who had Dylan pinned.

"You don't know how to use that thing," an Eraser scoffed, advancing on Ella.

"May I?" Ratchet asked, grabbing the knife from Ella's hands. He flung it towards the Eraser. She watched it twirl end over end through the air and sink deep into the Eraser's chest.

It howled and tried to pull it out, but Holden barreled into him and ripped the knife out. Ella turned her face away as he slit the Eraser's throat.

"This is nice," Holden said, holding it out to her. Ella stared at the bloody blade. "Oh, sorry. Here-" he wiped it on the grass before handing it back. Ella took it gingerly.

"Holden! We've got two left!" Maya called, dodging a punch from Ari. Kate and Star were battling their own Erasers, and Holden rushed to help Ratchet.

Dylan was up and fighting, and when Maya whirled into a kick, he finally got a glimpse of her face, and stopped mid-swing. His eyes fixed on her.

"Dylan, look out!" Ella clumsily swiped at the Eraser that was about to jump him. She sank the blade into his shoulder, and he howled in pain.

"I got it!" Kate latched onto the Eraser from behind, and wrapped her hands around his neck.

There was a gurgling sound, a crunch, and then the Eraser collapsed to the ground and lay still.

Kate easily pulled the knife from the Eraser's shoulder and handed it back to Ella. "You're pretty good with that thing."

"Thanks." Ella sighed and wiped it on the grass again, but bloodstains remained.

Dylan was still watching Maya with a dazed expression on his face as she squared off against Ari.

"Face it, you're outnumbered," she growled. "So I suggest you tuck your tail between your legs and run on home, or I'll rip your tail right off."

Ari looked around, and saw he was the last Eraser standing. "You know, you're right," he said to Maya, and leapt into the air, kicking his legs out. The side of his foot connected with Maya's forehead, and she reeled back.

"I'll be back," he warned. "Especially for you, Martinez. And next time, you won't get away so easily." He flapped his wings, and was disappeared into the night sky.

Everyone looked at each other.

Maya stepped forward, rubbing her forehead, and nodded to Ella. "Nice moves. Erasers are nasty. Name's Maya. And you've met Star, Kate, Ratchet, and Holden."

"Who are you, exactly? Why do you look like my sister?"

"Your _sister_?" Maya crossed her arms. "Wait, are you talking about _Max_?"

"Unless you have another twin somewhere in the world."

Maya smirked appreciatively. "Oh yeah, you're definitely Max's sister. I'm not Max's twin. I'm her clone."

"That's crazy," Ella shook her head. "But I think I'm getting used to crazy, so I shouldn't be surprised. I'm Max's half sister, Ella, and this is Dylan."

Maya raised an eyebrow. "Does he always stare without blinking?"

Ella elbowed Dylan, and that seemed to snap him out of it. "I, uh,"

"I heard about you. They said they'd created a mutant who could heal himself in less than five minutes. Is it true?"

Dylan nodded.

"Can he only say one-syllable words, or what?" Maya asked.

Ella laughed softly and shook her head. "He can talk."

"Great. Maybe you can explain to us what's been going on. ITEX has been going mad; we've seen all sorts of new brands of Erasers pop up. Luckily, we've stayed off the grid long enough for them to forget about us. For the most part."

"How's Fang doing?" Kate piped up.

"How do you know Fang?" Ella asked, shocked.

"He used to be the leader of this flock. Then he left me in charge when he went back to Max." Maya said. "God, that was a hot mess. I'm glad he went back."

" _That's_ where he went?" Ella shook her head. "Yeah, he's fine, I guess. He still doesn't talk much. But he and Max are attached at the hip."

Maya smiled softly. "I'm glad." She looked at the makeshift campsite. "What are the two of you doing out here, anyway? It's dangerous even for a flock of five like us."

"Max has been kidnapped," Dylan finally spoke. "She's been sold to the US military as a secret weapon. The rest of the flock has been split up around the world."

Maya raised an eyebrow. "That's some deep shit you're in."

"We're going to rescue Max, and everyone else." Ella explained. "We were on our way to Nevada, where Max is being held. This isn't the first time the Erasers have come after us."

"Then you guys had better be on your way, then," Ella nudged an unconscious Eraser with her foot. "I don't know how many of these guys will actually get up and follow you."

"Come with us," Dylan had never taken his eyes off of her. "Please. You're great fighters, and we could use the help."

"Help _you_ to break my clone out of wherever she is? No thanks, too risky. I'm not about to put my flock in the line of danger on purpose." Maya turned to walk away, but Kate stopped her.

"Come on, Maya, let's help them. It's not like we've got anything better to do."

"How about staying alive?"

"I'm in," Star shrugged. "It was nice to finally kick some ass."

"Agreed," Ratchet said. "And I think that if we don't teach Ella here how to actually throw a knife, she and Dylan will be dead in the next two days."

Maya rubbed her eyes and sighed. "Holden?"

"Let's do it."

"Fine," Maya groaned. "But if things go south, we're bailing. Got it?"

Dylan and Ella nodded.

"Thank you," Ella said gratefully. "So, so much."

Maya shook her head. "Don't thank us just yet. And when we get to Fang, I'm not too keen on seeing him again. I'll be in the wings for that one." She snickered. "Wings. Hell yeah."

 _She's so much like Max, and so different at the same time,_ Ella thought. _This will take some getting used to_.

"Well, since you're in charge, Blondie, why don't you find us a car?" Maya said to Dylan. "It looks like you and I are the only ones with wings. My flock can't fly."

"In the middle of nowhere?"

"There's a scrapyard about three miles from here. There's got to be a car that's not horribly busted."

"I can drive," Ella offered.

Dylan scooped her up and looked at Maya. "Lead us to it."

Maya nodded to her flock. "Stay hidden. We'll be back soon."

They took to the skies, and Ella wondered what else was in store for them in the days ahead.

She twisted in Dylan's hold and looked him in the eye. "Just because we've gotten help with getting everyone else doesn't mean I'll forget about your plan to leave everyone but Max behind. And I'm sure Max won't either."

"Don't tell her," Dylan said. "She doesn't have to know."

"We'll see. You agree to help me save everyone, then she doesn't have to know. But if this is a trick, and you double-cross us, then I'm telling her everything, and I'll let her kick your ass. Understand?"

Dylan swallowed, and nodded.

"Good." Ella turned back around and to the skies ahead. "Let's go rescue them."


	6. Deals and Threats

**Thanks SO much to Mcr killjoy and Tibricel Tibby for the reviews! I appreciate them so much, and I totally agree, Tibricel Tibby, that JP really copped out on her character and made her so 2-D it was criminal. Hopefully, through this story, I can give her some purpose and personality and she'll become just as badass as Max and the Flock.**

 **Read on! Let me know what you think!**

Iggy

Iggy sank into a chair, and sighed, resting his head in his hands.

He didn't know how many days had passed since he had been shipped to China, but enough time had passed that the auction felt like a lifetime ago.

He had been welcomed graciously. His new 'employers' had ushered him into a posh suite (he could only assume what it actually looked like, but it had a feather bed and the room was larger than the entire first floor of their safe house back in Nebraska, so it wasn't _too_ shabby) and greeted by a personal assistant/interpreter.

The interpreter was named Nuan and he sounded nice enough, but Iggy kept to himself, suspicious of everyone.

Instead, Iggy turned his thoughts to other things: the flock, but most of all, Ella.

He hoped she was still in Nebraska, and that Jeb hadn't followed through on his threat to kill her and her mother, provided Max cooperated, and he knew how difficult Max could be.

He missed Ella. He missed listening to her read, he missed her laugh, and most of all, he just missed _her_. He missed everything, from the way she sounded when she smiled, to her dry humor that no one appreciated but him, but he especially missed the feeling he got when he wrapped his arms around her.

There had not been much room for happiness in his life, but she was one of the few exceptions, and he felt her absence keenly.

"Mister Iggy?" Nuan said, entering the room unannounced. "The president would like to speak to you."

Iggy didn't bother to look up. "The US president? What's he doing here?"

"No," Nuan sighed. After several days of Iggy's smart aleck attitude, Nuan was slowly finding he was getting used to it. "China's president. Your new employer."

Iggy lifted his head towards Nuan's voice. "Tell him I'm flattered, but I'm not signing autographs. My handwriting's atrocious."

Iggy heard Nuan sigh again, and felt oddly satisfied. "He's here to speak to you about your new job."

"Not interested. I didn't exactly _apply_ for this job. Are the benefits any good? Do I even get a dental plan? I'm not really employee material."

"I beg to differ," a voice boomed throughout the room. "Mr. Iggy, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Is that the president?" Iggy asked.

"Yes," Nuan had to restrain himself from groaning.

"He speaks perfect English. What the hell are you for?" Iggy asked.

"I would like to discuss the matter of your contract," the president continued.

Iggy raised an eyebrow. "Contract? That almost sounds like I agreed to be here."

"After we discuss your benefits, I'm sure your attitude will change," the president sounded smug.

"Oh so I _do_ get dental."

"Among other things." Iggy heard the president sit down in the chair across from him. "You're really quite valuable to us, Iggy. And I chose you because of your skills."

"You mean my devilish good looks and devastating charm? I wouldn't call those _skills_ , more-"

"Your aptitude with explosives," the president continued as if he hadn't spoken. "We want you to create a bomb."

"Is that it?" Iggy asked. "Just a bomb?"

"A bomb more powerful than the ones they dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki."

"That's impossible."

"With your knowledge and our resources, I'm inclined to disagree."

"I can't do that. I won't," Iggy refused. "You're crazy."

"You can, and you will."

"What are going to do with a huge bomb?"

The president laughed. "Isn't it obvious? Drop it over the country that poses the biggest threat to China. And you'll help us do it."

"No, I _won't_." Iggy snapped. "You may have bought _me_ , but you can't buy loyalty. I won't do it."

"That's a shame," the president said. "But I had thought you would be hesitant. That's why I'm prepared to offer you a deal."

"I don't want to make any deals with you."

"Not even when you hear what I'm about to offer?"

Iggy heard the door open, and a familiar voice washed over him, freezing his blood in his veins. "Hello, Iggy. It's been awhile."

"Iggy, may I introduce our head scientist leading this project?"

"Not this asshole," Iggy growled. "You again?"

"He knows me quite well," Guenther Hagen said. "We have some history."

"Ah, very good," the president said. "Then I'll just come out and say it. Iggy, Guenther Hagen has agreed to perform a surgery, at my request."

"What kind?" Iggy asked, suspiciously.

"I can give you the one thing you want," Guenther Hagen said. "New eyes."

Iggy couldn't help but let his face slip into a surprised expression. "That's impossible."

"No, as a matter of fact, it's not. I studied the procedure they used during your operation. In my studies, I have designed a new procedure to counter and fix the old one. You would go to sleep and wake up with your eyesight completely restored."

"What's the price? What do you get out of it?"

"I loathe to say anything as cliché as 'world domination', but dear boy, it is just that."

Iggy paused, then shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks."

Guenther Hagen made a surprised noise. "No? You would refuse your only chance at eyesight? For what, misguided loyalty? Foolish pride?" His tone turned dark. "Because the stakes are higher than that. I'd be careful if I were you. I know where every single member of your flock is, and I'm fully prepared to do whatever is necessary to ensure your cooperation."

"Look, I don't care what you do to me, but leave my family out of this-"

"Not _just_ your family," Iggy could hear the awful smile in the doctor's voice. "I also know the whereabouts of a certain young woman named Ella Martinez. It would be such a shame if anything happened to her."

Iggy stood abruptly. "I swear to God, if you hurt her-"

"Sit down, Iggy, it doesn't need to come to this," the president tried to calm him. "Now, I'm sure we can all come to an agreement without such measures-"

"No, with all due respect, Mr. President," Guenther Hagen interrupted. "This boy needs some incentive. I think he'd be much more agreeable if it wasn't just _his_ life at stake."

"You're a monster," Iggy growled. "Leave Ella out of this, she has nothing to do with it."

"I'm afraid I can't. I sent some Erasers to retrieve her several days ago. I expect they'll return soon. You see," Iggy heard Guenther Hagen stand, and begin to pace. "I've decided she would be quite useful."

Iggy clenched his fists. "Leave her alone."

"I can't. She's the perfect candidate for my newest experiment."

Iggy's stomach lurched. _Not this. Anything but this._

"For all the success and failures from ITEX, not once have they successfully given wings to someone who was born without them. The Erasers do not count, as they were mutated before the additional operation, but I have always wondered… what would the success be of an ordinary human receiving wings?" Guenther stopped pacing, right in front of Iggy. "And I decided, the sister of the great Maximum Ride would be a wonderful candidate. And," he added, "Given your attachment to her, I could possibly restart my failed experiment with Max and Dylan."

Iggy's arm shot out, and his fist made contact with Guenther Hagen's chin. The doctor staggered back. "What-"

"I'm not going to let you put Ella through the _hell_ I've been through," Iggy swung again, catching him in the stomach. "And I'm not going to help you with your crazy plan to screw the world over!"

Iggy heard the president exclaim, and felt hands grasp his shoulders, holding him back. Nuan grunted as Iggy struggled to break free, and held him tighter.

"Perhaps we should discuss this at another time," the president said. "Doctor, shall we-"

"Just you wait," the doctor wheezed, making his way to the door. "It's only a matter of time before Miss Martinez arrives. And when she does," he managed to croak out a laugh. "She'll suffer for your unwillingness to cooperate."

"LEAVE ELLA ALONE-"

The door slammed shut behind the doctor and president, cutting off the sound of Iggy's shouts.

* * *

Max

Her stomach rumbled, and she curled further in on herself, shivering.

 _Day number five, and no food. They weren't joking._

She wondered about her flock, if they were just as hungry and miserable as she was.

 _I'm going to rip Jeb's balls off and feed them to him for this._

The door creaked open, and Max shifted to face the wall, refusing to look at whoever entered the room.

"How have these past five days been?" She heard the general's voice approach. "Hungry? Cold?"

When Max didn't answer, she heard him sigh. "Being stubborn will get you nowhere."

The door opened again.

"Max," Jeb said. "Stop behaving like a child."

When she didn't say anything, he sighed. "I suppose I'll have to tell you, then."

She twisted her head. "Tell me what?"

"Ella's gone."

Max shot up in surprise. "What do you mean, _gone_?"

Jeb smiled, unremorseful. "Valencia called me, thoroughly distressed. Ella left a note saying she was coming to see you in Chicago, but the house was in shambles. Valencia even found a bloody knife lying on the kitchen floor."

"You're lying."

"In fact, I'm not. I even flew back to see Valencia. She was not exaggerating." Jeb smiled again. "It seems someone got there before I did."

"You planned this," Max hissed, and lunged for him, the chains around her ankles jerking her back. " _What did you do to my sister?"_

"Nothing, I assure you. I can't tell you where she is, but I can tell you this: if you don't cooperate, something just as bad might happen to your mother."

"Leave them alone!" Max snapped.

"Now," Jeb continued. "If you help us, I will try to find your sister, and ensure her safe return to your mother."

"You said you don't know where she is!"

"I have resources, Max, and powerful allies. In fact, I already have an idea of who has her."

Max glared and crossed her arms. "Who?"

"Why, Max, you know him. Doctor Guenther Hagen."

Max jumped at him again. "You planned this!"

"No, I didn't. I wish I had." Jeb stepped just out of her reach and watched her struggle with an amused smile on his face.

"You're an asshole," Max snapped. "A lying dirt bag. If you want to hurt me, fine, but leave my family out of this!"

The general cleared his throat. "Perhaps now is the time to tell her."

"Tell me what?"

"The president has requested a demonstration."

Max eyed him suspiciously. "What kind of demonstration?"

"Your flight."

Max snorted. "What, the wings weren't enough?" She shook her head. "Tell him he can kiss my ass before I even _think_ about doing what you want."

Jeb stepped forward. "Here's the deal, Max. If you agree to do this, then I'll get Ella back."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

Jeb smiled. "You'll just have to trust me."

Max grit her teeth. "You'll get her back, and leave her and my mom alone?"

Jeb held up a hand. "Scouts honor. As long as you continue to cooperate."

Max sighed. "Throw in a cheeseburger and you've got yourself a deal."

"Excellent," the general said. "I told you she'd be more agreeable after a few days without food."

Max flipped him off. "Didn't they tell you that starving a kid was child abuse?"

The general laughed. "Starving a 'child' like you is nothing compared to what I've done."

"You're both sadistic."

Jeb unlocked her ankle braces. "Are you up to flying today?"

"Like I said, give me that cheeseburger and then we'll talk."

Jeb laughed. "Always hungry, just like when you were little." He gestured towards the door. "I brought some food along."

 _They played me,_ Max thought bitterly. _They knew I was going to give in_.

 _That doesn't mean I'll make it easy for them_.

* * *

"Okay, Miss Ride, whenever you're ready," the president's voice blared through the tinny speaker.

Max was standing in the middle of an arena, longer than three football fields. The president was standing with his entourage at the edge, holding a pair of binoculars and a megaphone. Secret Service men were positioned along the perimeter of the arena, and Jeb and General Stewart stood nearby.

Everyone's eyes were on her.

She looked up at the wide-open sky, and smiled to herself.

 _Idiots._

With a running start, she leapt into the sky and snapped her wings open, flapping hard. They caught a downdraft, and then she was soaring, higher and higher. She did a few loops, dives, and flips to appease Jeb, and to put the helicopters above to ease. They were poised, ready to catch her if she flew away.

 _Have I got a surprise for you_.

She'd figured it out, while eating before the flight. She knew where the flock was, all of them, and she was ready to break them out by herself, one by one. And then, when they had everyone together, they'd go rescue Ella and pick up her mom on the way.

 _I just have to get Jeb to leave my mom alone. But she's useless to him if he doesn't have me._

"Amazing display, Miss Ride," the president called. "That will be all."

"How about no?" Max called. She turned towards the sky, and poured on the speed.

"EAT MY DUST!" She shouted as she soared.

The helicopters in position followed in hot pursuit, but Max easily dodged them.

Some trailed nets below them in an attempt to capture her, but she easily rolled and twisted, and soon, even the helicopters were tiny dots in the distance. Below her, the wide desert stretched out, hot and empty.

 _I did it,_ she thought. _I'm free_.

Max flew for the rest of the day, and as night began to fall, her stomach rumbled, and she knew it was time to make camp for the night.

She circled above a small forest, and was startled to see another flying figure approaching.

At first, she thought it was Fang, and her heart leapt. But when she noticed that the wings were light brown, almost white, and that the flier had blonde hair, she started to backtrack.

 _Dylan._

"Max!" He called. "MAX!"

"GET AWAY, YOU TRAITOR!" she shouted over the wind, and banked to the left.

"WAIT!" A new voice called out, and Max turned back.

Maya was flying towards her.

 _Her too?_

"What do _you_ want?" Max snarled. "Did you team up with this scumbag?"

"Max, it's not what you think." Maya was close enough now that Max could see how little she'd changed. It was eerie to see her own face staring back at her.

"It doesn't look too good to me," she snapped. "My _clone_ who tried to steal my _boyfriend_ has teamed up with the one guy who tried to steal me _from_ my boyfriend." Max paused. "Actually, it's perfect. I'm glad you two found each other."

"It's not like that!" Maya protested. "Look, we're here to rescue you."

" _Rescue_ me? I find that hard to believe."

"I have Ella," Dylan said as he circled closer. "She's back at camp, on the ground. Please, Max. We're here to help."

"How do I know this isn't a trap?" Max narrowed her eyes. "Jeb told me Guenther Hagen had Ella."

Dylan winced. "He tried, but I got there in time to get Ella away."

"Look, can we finish this on the ground?" Maya asked. "You look ready to drop."

"MAX!" Max looked down and saw the outline of her sister waving her arms. "MAX, IT'S ME!"

Max fell into a dive, and skidded to a stop in front of Ella. Ella rushed at her sister, pulling her in for a tight hug.

"You're okay," Max sighed, relieved. "Oh my God, El, I thought they had you."

"They tried," Ella said when Max pulled back. "But Dylan saved me."

Max turned and looked at Dylan critically. "I guess I owe you a thank you."

He shrugged. "It was nothing."

"Is Fang with you?" Maya asked. Max bristled.

"No, he is _not_. He's in Russia." Max sat by the small campfire, and began to devour the can of ravioli Ella handed her.

Maya nodded. "Then that's where we go next."

"You're going to help me?" Max glared at her clone. "I swear to God, if this is just a pathetic attempt at getting him back-"

"I'm _not_ after Fang," Maya snapped. "I never was, okay? He's always been hopelessly in love with you, and I don't waste my time chasing guys who already have someone. I'm doing this because I _owe_ him. He saved me, he saved my flock, and we owe it to him to help him out."

"We?"

Kate, Star, Ratchet, and Holden all stepped out from the trees.

"Hi, Max," Kate said. "It's nice to meet you."

Star just glared, while Ratchet and Holden waved.

"Where did they come from?" Max asked Ella.

"I had them stay back, in case you flipped shit," Ella said. "I didn't want to overwhelm you."

Max put down her empty can and faced Maya's flock. "So, you're all in? You're going to help me get Fang back? And everyone else?"

They nodded. Maya walked over to stand with them, and stuck out her hand. "Truce?"

Max stared at it, before shaking it. "Truce," she said. She looked at Dylan. "But don't think you're off the hook. I still have to kick your ass."

He grinned. "I'm sure you will."

"Tomorrow," Max announced, "We're heading to Russia."

 **…So it's been awhile. I'm on vacation, and I had hoped to get some writing done, but I had a friend come visit me from Europe, so that plan fell apart.**

 **Tell me what you think! Your reviews are what keep this story going! I write faster when I get feedback, and it helps me improve the story. Thanks again to everyone who followed and favorited, it really means a lot. Can you guys help me get to 10 reviews? Please? Thanks so much.**

 **Until next time!**


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